The present invention relates to a light source provided with light reflecting means.
In the light source industry, there are known incandescent and discharge light sources provided with light reflecting means, which is to be firmly integrated with an incandescent or discharge lamp. During this integration, the light emitting component--e.g. the incandescent filament in the case of incandescent lamps--is to be in most cases positioned in or adjacent to the focal plane of the light reflecting surface. Having made this optical adjustment of the relative position of lamp to light reflecting means, this position is to be fixed. To achieve this, a heat-resistant adhesive, e.g. cement is mostly used, but mechanical means are also known. In this connection, the method according to published EP application No. 341 633 is referred to.
The fixation ensured by cementing is less suitable for mass-production since the cement has a heat insulating property making it unable to conduct the heat generated due to the operation of the lamp and because the cementing requires a long time as the cement will not harden instantaneously. The time period during which the cement hardens increases production times and also increases the risk of a change in the relative position of the light reflecting means to the lamp. This latter consequence should not be tolerated since it is a fundamental requirement for light sources provided with light reflecting means to have a controlled light reflection that can only be assured if the light emitting component of the lamp--e.g. the filament in the case of incandescent lamps--is positioned in the focus of the reflecting surface of the light reflecting means.
Solutions for fixing by mechanical means are described in HU-B 190.574 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,370,587. These arrangements can be used exclusively for light reflecting means made from metal.